Living proof you can build a career on quirky passions

That's what his mobile app, Cloth, was — good. It was solving a problem and it was doing its job. People loved it. But Porges and his cofounders couldn't help but think the app could do more. Last month, the app rolled out a redesign, offering incredible specificity in its style visualization and recommendation capabilities.

A visionary in the tech space and a man of many hats, Seth Porges invited Mashable into his beautiful Brooklyn apartment, and shared some insight on his style, daily inspirations and unique hobbies.

A pinball historian and inspiration-seeker

Porges' days don't begin and end with the mobile app; he's a man with many hobbies and quirks. Porges is a proud owner of two playable pinball machines –- AC/DC and Elton John themed –- and often writes about and gives lectures on the bizarre history of the game.

"Growing up, I thought pinball was this innocent, vanilla game, very 'Happy Days', apple pie. Then I discovered that it was illegal for decades in most of America." It's true; up until a few weeks ago, pinball was illegal in Oakland, Calif., and had been seriously illegal in many other cities back in the 1930s. "The NYPD had a pinball squad, dedicated to sweeping through the city in Prohibition-style raids, smashing machines with sledge hammers." Scientists believed the machines would "rear a race of children unable to love because of its satanic influences."

Porges' obsession is understandable. But there's more to it, he explains. Pinball isn't just an obsession, but a creative outlet. Over the past few years, half a dozen startups have entered the pinball space, marking a resurgence of the once-dead pastime. "Everything is so digital today, that there's something so real about this physical ball bouncing around, beholden to the whims of physics and friction," he says. "It's appealing to people in the tech industry because it's fundamentally real and physical, and there's a hunger for that in our lives."

Perhaps pinball will save us all.

A master of meeting interesting people

The tech innovator spent most of his career as a technology journalist where he was able to meet some of the smartest people in the world. "The inventors, entrepreneurs, geniuses, engineers –- the people who make our world go round." What excited Porges most was not their resumes and accolades, although impressive, but rather the humanity behind those accomplishments. "To understand that what makes them tick may not be that different from what makes you tick."

That's not the only method Porges employs for meeting interesting people. For the past five years, he has rented one of the rooms in his Brooklyn apartment through Airbnb. "Everybody has this fantasy of giving everything up and starting a bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere, and I'm not quite ready to do that. This appeals in a similar way." He compares his hospitality to days of old. "There's something ancient about opening up your home to travelers. It dates back to ancient Greece and The Odyssey. I think human society was built off of this, and Airbnb kind of re-injects the humanity into travel."

Predictably unpredictable lifestyle

The schedule of a young entrepreneur is enthralling, albeit frightening, and Porges is no different. "I look at my calendar, and it’s a big block of crazy, but every little bit of that crazy offers possibility and excitement." Although packed, his schedule is somewhat flexible, which means Porges can do work from his Brooklyn apartment, nearby cafes, coworking spaces and even bars. "I've found bars can be great places to work because they often have Wi-Fi, serve food and aren't as crowded as coffee shops." His life as a digital maverick glimmers with possibility. "My days are predictably unpredictable."

And this busy schedule influences his style, Porges says.

He's minimal and monochromatic in the way he dresses — very back-to-basics. "I don't think I've ever worn a logo." This is partly due to personal preference, but also necessity. "I find myself gallivanting around a lot. One moment I could be at a business meeting, and next a stodgy event and then at a fun party with friends. It's important for me to dress in a way that can work across multiple scenarios." His days are unpredictable and spontaneous. "People tell me they can recognize me from far away because of what I'm wearing. It's very simple, solid and silhouette-y … identifiably me."

New York City is an interesting place in terms of style, he says. "We're walking miles and miles a day, we're in the subway crammed against people. At the same time, this is a high-powered, formal city. You have to balance the need for walking 6 miles with meeting fascinating and interesting people."

Living through your passions

If you have a passion that you're dying to pursue, just do it. "It's become cliché to say that we live in an economy where people can hustle together different sources of income into a living, and experience their passions and freedom in a way that wasn't possible with a traditional career path," Porges says. It's cliché, but it's true.

"I sort of made a career out of going really deep into topics that nobody else ever cared about. These are things that are fascinating and wonderful and strange, and nobody else bothered to look into them, and that’s why I was able to have so much fun in the space. So go find that project you've been wanting to work on, write stories, make documentaries, call up those whom you admire and ask what makes them tick," he says. "That way, even if you do have a normal job, you'll feel like you are discovering things, and that's a really great feeling."

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